Southwest flights delayed and canceled after computer glitch

ReutersJune 22. 2013 8:45PMSouthwest Airlines canceled or delayed about 250 flights Friday night and early on Saturday due to a system-wide outage of computers used to dispatch aircraft, but Manchester-Boston Regional Airport was not affected, said a spokesman for the airline.

J. Brian O'Neill, deputy airport director, said the troubles did not affect operations in Manchester.

The Dallas-based airline said 43 overnight flights were canceled as a result of the outage, which began around 11 p.m. on Friday and lasted until about 3 a.m. on Saturday, said Southwest Airlines spokesman Michelle Agnew.

Another 14 morning flights were canceled due to "flight crew availability and aircraft positioning" after the outage ended, she said.

Most of the cancellations affected routes in the western United States, Agnew said. Flights that were already airborne were not affected by the outage, while planes on the ground were held back, she said, adding that the cause of the computer failure was unknown.

Southwest, which operates some 3,400 flights daily, said in a statement on its website that its "systems are working at full capacity."